Mankind has always depended upon nature's stores of resources to provide the source of energy to build, explore, and experiment. As our knowledge and technology have improved we have moved from the burning of wood, coal, oil, and gas to harnessing the power of the atom to provide nuclear energy. Unfortunately, each form of energy that has been discovered has associated disadvantages such as, pollution, destruction of the ozone layer, nuclear contamination, accidental release of harmful radiation and the like. Mankind continues to seek better, more efficient forms of energy and with global energy consumption increasing at alarming rates, the need for a clean, renewable source of energy is more important than ever.
Traditional sources of producing energy from the combustion of fossil fuels is not only expensive but has become widely accepted as a main contributor to a rise in the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide believed to be a cause of global climate change. The goal has been to find an energy source that does not require replenishment, does not consume natural resources, is continuous, does not possess deleterious side effects and does not emit pollutants and renewable sources of clean energy from wind, water, and solar offer an alternative. Unfortunately many renewable energy sources suffer from deficiencies in efficiency do to their intermittent nature and cost. This also makes their use impractical for one of the most common consumers of energy, the automobile. An average household with two (2) mid-sized vehicles emits more than twenty thousand (20,000) pounds of carbon dioxide per year. Attempts to improve the fuel efficiency of the internal combustion engine are slow and producing lighter vehicles negatively impact the safety of passengers. Efficiency of electricity storage devices for electric vehicles currently only provides for short periods of operation and hybrid vehicles still utilize gasoline engines.
Examples of relevant attempts to provide power generation to vehicles and address these problems can be seen by reference to several U.S. patents, including: U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,930, issued in the name of Fengler, which describes a vehicle propulsion system by individual stepping motors from continuously-running engine-driven alternator and/or pulsating battery current; U.S. Pat. No. 6,605,880, issued in the name of Jaunich, which describes an energy system providing continual electric power using wind-generated electricity coupled with fuel-driven electricity generators; U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,769, issued in the name of Kawamura, which describes a motor vehicle driving system; U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,478, issued in the name of Tsukamoto et al., which describes a vehicle drive system with electrical power regeneration; U.S. Pat. No. 6,806,687, issued in the name of Kajiura, which describes a vehicle motor-generator apparatus utilizing synchronous machine having field winding; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,019,413, issued in the name of Kinoshita, which describes a system having an electric device which functions both as an electric motor for driving machines and as a generator to generate electrical power, and having a power source for driving the electric device.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these references suffers from one (1) or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. Accordingly, there is a need for a means by which energy can be produced that is continuous in nature, does not require the consumption of natural resources or other replenishment and produces no pollution or other deleterious side effects. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.